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08/28/2003 Entry: "Social Capital"

I'm grateful to Signposts for pointing to this article on "The Politics of Social Capital".

Our age is marked by a diminishing circle of trust. Corporations, trade unions, churches and politicians all find themselves on the outside of this circle. Our stocks of social capital (our capacity to trust others and to act on this trust in expectation that it will be reciprocated) are indeed diminishing. The results are everywhere to see: disengagement, insecurity, downwards envy, and the shrinking of our social networks to people like ourselves.The traditional politics of Left and Right cannot help us in understanding this new world. The flow of trust and reciprocity in the community cannot be adjusted by pulling levers in government or adjusting economic management devices. It cannot be legislated for. Trust and reciprocity are generated primarily in civil society, in the relationships and institutions of civil life – families, neighbourhoods, churches, clubs, and voluntary associations. From there they shape the effectiveness of other institutions such as the market and government. Without the trust and reciprocity born of civil society, governments and the marketplace will rub uneasily against the social fabric in which they're situated.